We typically think of furniture as utilitarian: chairs are for sitting on, tables are for placing things on, shelves are for storing items. But furniture can also be art—particularly when DoubleButter [3]is crafting it. David Larabee and Dexter Thornton, the masterminds behind the Denver-based company, are two goofy, laid-back dudes who just enjoy making furniture.

This month, the Denver Art Museum is celebrating DoubleButter's work and those of two other architecture- and design-related companies (MATTER [4] and tres birds workshop) during Design Lab: Three Studios [5] (on view through September 2). We visited Larabee and Thornton's workshop prior to catch a glimpse of what it took to craft their new line of colorful, forward-looking pieces. Check out our slideshow [6].

Follow assistant editor Daliah Singer on Twitter at @daliahsinger [7].